Uploaded October 2013 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Watch a LEGO escapement featuring a torsion pendulum suspended from a 0.102 mm wire spring salvaged from a 1954 Schatz 400-Day Clock.
The pendulum’s motion is driven by a six-pole electrostatic induction motor, with brass-ball stator electrodes and aluminum-ball rotor components. Powered by a 12.5 kV DC supply, adjacent electrodes alternate polarity. Once energized, the pendulum is manually tapped to initiate motion. A LEGO Technic towball bob engages the escape wheel, advancing it by one tooth during the counterclockwise swing.
Even after power is cut off, the spring’s harmonic oscillations persist for up to two minutes—though the video captures only the first quarter of this decay.
View a series of clock escapements powered by electrostatic force:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCbYhDNjOviFDr28b6FfLKd3jKW7fMr8j
#legoescapement #LegoClockEscapement #ElectrostaticMotor #simpleharmonicmotion #TorsionPendulum
Watch a LEGO escapement featuring a torsion pendulum suspended from a 0.102 mm wire spring salvaged from a 1954 Schatz 400-Day Clock.
The pendulum’s motion is driven by a six-pole electrostatic induction motor, with brass-ball stator electrodes and aluminum-ball rotor components. Powered by a 12.5 kV DC supply, adjacent electrodes alternate polarity. Once energized, the pendulum is manually tapped to initiate motion. A LEGO Technic towball bob engages the escape wheel, advancing it by one tooth during the counterclockwise swing.
Even after power is cut off, the spring’s harmonic oscillations persist for up to two minutes—though the video captures only the first quarter of this decay.
View a series of clock escapements powered by electrostatic force:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCbYhDNjOviFDr28b6FfLKd3jKW7fMr8j
#legoescapement #LegoClockEscapement #ElectrostaticMotor #simpleharmonicmotion #TorsionPendulum
